Duty. He had given everything up for it, and it became a curse. The search for a young girl had brought everything into place, but everyone had their secrets. In between the lines he waited as the vampire: Noir.

Chess;
it was the game the two played. Thinking ahead, trying to predict the
moves of the opponent and planning each move carefully: it was like a
war. There would be periods of peaceful lulls followed by grand
schemes in battle where pieces of the game were sacrificed in order
to achieve victory. In the end one king shall fall, followed by those
who remain as they are brought back to where they are stored. And the
game ends.

But
another would start again, as the chess pieces are brought back into
a board for a new game. So it began anew, with one player moving his
pawn.

And
the second player, in response, moves his pawn.

-The
Vampire, Noir-

Prologue

Urban
Legends

Ø

This
is the story of my life—the university dropout turned private
investigator slash odd jobs man. Here I am standing in front
of a mirror, wearing a black vest and tight leather pants; because
someone had asked me to do so. Somewhere out there, a young girl is
waiting for my rescue, lost in the big city. Let me rephrase that, a
young girl is waiting for my rescue, lost in a big, very dangerous
city.

They
say a lot of things about Babel City. It was, after all, the phoenix
that rose from the ashes of New York, which had become a
plague-ridden ruin after the great war. Steam, coal, oil-- every type
of resource was used to sustain life in Babel, but none greater than
nuclear energy. Magic was the cornerstone of society, but nuclear
power kept the city alive.

Babel
had opened its doors to everyone—the underground societies, the
refugees, every obscure cult you could think of—even the mutants.
And of course, I can't forget to mention the vampires: they were
the reason for my current clothing.

I'm
just another human, trying to scrape a living with the skills I know.
I did study magic after all, with the sole proof resting in my eyes.
The side effect of a botched spell, part of the reason why I dropped
out, my eye color changed according to mood. It was predominantly
grey, and I have no idea what mood it represents. Through bad luck
and personal experience, red meant horny.

I
entered the bar quietly, making sure that I attract as little
attention as possible. This was the lion's den: a medium sized bar
located somewhere near the city harbor. This was vampire territory, I
thought, seeing as almost all the people were said creature. It's
not hard to distinguish a vampire: the younger ones wear a lot of
black, the majority of their fashion sense linked to the culture of
punk rock and metal; sometimes gothic. The older ones were harder to
spot, since they mostly stay out of sight or blend in with the crowd.
Pale skin and fangs weren't exactly limited to vampires in Babel's
general population.

Upon
entering I made my way to the counter, making sure nobody takes his
time for a clear look on my face. You do this in the right speed—not
too slow or not too fast, since doing either made you look like you
were up to something. I sit myself on a bar stool, ordering a
tequila, taking the time to observe my surroundings.

I
wore shades to cover my eye malfunction, but it was pretty clear that
the bar was dimly lit. Tables were scattered around the bar, while a
billiards table was laid out in the center. The bar was still
virtually empty; after all, the sun had just set an hour ago.

The
tequila I order is placed in front of me in a matter of seconds. I
drink up, letting the drink enter my stomach uninterrupted, which
makes me feel a little better. After all, only a vampire could wear
this type of clothing I'm wearing during the cold season without
any effect. I let the drink settle in before I order another one.

Three
more drinks later my target arrives. Two people, most likely followed
him silently, walking to the farthest end of the bar. I could only
catch a glimpse of him—mostly his face. Blonde, blue eyed, and a
face so pale and impassive that I could be the prime example of a
young vampire ready to take on anything without the hint of emotion.
The two guards were pretty plain looking; men in suits who had crew
cuts and wore shades. Guns were most definitely hidden somewhere.

The
blue-eyed vampire had it. It was intuition combined with a slight bit
of drunkenness, but he gave a certain presence. Hidden underneath
that emotionless face and cold blue eyes, was something that would do
anything for its ambition, and killing wasn't even at the top of
its list. I had the talent in spotting it, after all.

The
party had begun.

-end-

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